10 Interactive Forms Builders for Surveys & Lead Generation
Every business needs leads to fuel its sales funnel.
But lead generation for SaaS companies can be a tricky concept.
Unlike traditional businesses, your success hinges on more than just a one-time sale.
You need customers who’ll stick around and renew their subscriptions month after month, year after year. And for that to happen, you need to find the right fit from the beginning.
In this article, we'll explore lead generation strategies specifically tailored to SaaS.
Beyond just filling your funnel, these strategies are designed to attract quality leads and set the foundation for sustainable growth for your SaaS business.
We’ll also cover the types of leads you’ll encounter as a SaaS company and handy tools to supercharge your lead generation process.
*Disclaimer: The comparisons and competitor ratings presented in this article are based on features available as of Jul 12, 2024. We conduct thorough research and draw on both first-hand experience and reputable sources to provide reliable insights. However, as tools and technologies evolve, we recommend readers verify details and consider additional research to ensure the information meets their specific needs.
SaaS lead generation is the process of finding and attracting potential customers for your SaaS business. It involves identifying people or businesses who might need your software, grabbing their attention and capturing their contact information.
To keep your business growing, you need to consistently bring in new leads. SaaS lead generation fills your pipeline with interested prospects that your sales team can nurture and eventually convert into paying subscribers.
A lead is someone who's shown interest in your product or service. They're not a customer yet, but they've taken some action that puts them on your radar. This could be downloading your ebook, signing up for your newsletter or attending your webinar.
However, not all leads are at the same stage of their journey. Let’s look at the different types of leads or ‘potential customers’ your SaaS business may encounter in its sales funnel.
There are four main types of leads a SaaS business may encounter in their sales funnel. Here’s a brief description of each one.
Made with Visme Infographic Maker
Content is a key pillar of SaaS marketing, but not all content is created equal. You might find your articles are driving tons of traffic but failing to generate leads or convert.
This is your sign to start focusing more on product-led content.
Product-led content shows readers how your product can help them solve problems and improve their workflows. It’s a powerful way to demonstrate the value of your SaaS and its features.
For example, in their article about SEO challenges, Ahrefs weaves in use cases of their various SEO tools to help readers address those challenges.
Use screenshots, GIFs and videos where possible, like Ahrefs does above, to help readers visualize exactly how your product works and how to apply it in specific contexts.
Remember to draw the line between ‘product-led’ and ‘overly salesy’ content. Instead of forcefully pushing your product on readers, be honest about its capabilities, use cases, and limitations so that readers can see how it might fit into their workflows.
One way to do that is by prioritizing keywords that are a good fit for your product.
In this article about Product-Led Content, Si Quan Ong talks about scoring article topics by their ‘business potential’—i.e. How important your product is for solving that specific problem.
Convincing prospects your product is worth their money can be tricky.
But there’s another way to prove your expertise and generate leads without asking for credit cards or commitments—free, interactive tools.
Now, you might be wondering: why should I develop an extra tool and give it away for free when I already have an entire product I want to sell? Isn’t that a lot of investment?
You’re right—interactive tools can be a bit of an investment to build. But they’re also extremely effective for engaging potential customers and naturally leading them to your main product.
For example, HubSpot offers a free email signature template generator on their website.
This helps them provide immediate value to their target audience—new businesses or professionals looking to upgrade their marketing—and build trust and authority.
HubSpot also captures users’ contact details in the process, which gives them an opportunity to upsell their marketing automation platform through retargeting ads and lead nurturing emails.
Here are some ideas for interactive tools you can create for your SaaS business:
Make sure your free tool is easy to use. Integrate it into blog posts, landing pages and social media posts to promote it and drive traffic. And require an email address at some point, such as when sharing results, to effectively generate leads for your business.
Publishing content that’s accessible to everyone is great for driving traffic to your SaaS website.
But if you want to turn that traffic into leads, you need to add another layer.
This is where lead magnets come in.
Lead magnets are compelling offers or gated content you’re willing to “trade” with potential customers in exchange for their email addresses.
Here are some ideas for lead magnets you can offer as a SaaS company:
Visme offers templates for most of the lead magnet types mentioned above. You can easily customize any template you want and create your lead magnet in minutes using our drag-and-drop editor—no design skills needed.
And we walk the talk too. Here’s an example of an ebook on presentation design that we offer on our website to capture leads:
Remember, there’s a lot of amazing content on the internet that’s accessible for free. To generate leads, create a lead magnet that’s highly relevant, timely and provides unique value your audience is not going to find anywhere else.
Invest in good design and formatting, and create a mockup in Visme to showcase your lead magnet professionally on your website or landing page.
Finally, use Visme to create an interactive lead magnet form with custom animated characters to grab attention, capture lead information and sync contacts with your tech stack.
You can create all the world-class content you want—if it doesn’t rank for the right keywords on Google, you’re missing out on a lot of potential leads.
Since SaaS companies depend almost entirely on online traffic, creating content around the right keywords can help them generate targeted leads.
For example, if I search for the keyword “how to start dropshipping” on Google, the first result I see is this page from Hostinger — a popular website builder and hosting provider.
It shows up there because of Hostinger’s SEO efforts. And because it’s the top result, users are more likely to click it and learn more about how Hostinger can help solve their problem, i.e. start a dropshipping business.
Use a keyword research tool like Ahrefs or Semrush to find high-potential keywords, such as those with a good balance of high volume and low difficulty. Also, pay attention to the search intent to make sure your content is aligned with user needs.
This way, you’re able to rank for fewer but targeted keywords and generate quality leads that are more likely to convert.
Other SEO tactics to help boost your organic rankings include:
Your website forms are where your visitors actually convert into leads. That’s why optimizing them is crucial for your lead generation campaign success.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when creating lead capture forms for your website:
If you want to take your forms to the next level, use Visme’s interactive form builder. It’s proven to drive higher conversions and newsletter sign-ups.
Access pre-built templates for newsletter forms, lead magnet forms, registration forms, contact forms, pop-up forms and more. Add animated characters and customize their appearance and actions to personalize your forms and maximize engagement.
One of the best ways to generate targeted leads for your SaaS product is to give users a taste of your product without asking for anything in return. This is mainly done in two ways:
A free trial typically gives users access to premium features but for a limited period of time, such as 7, 14 or 30 days. This is a great way to get long-term subscribers on board by allowing them to get comfortable with your software first before asking them to upgrade.
A free plan (or freemium business model) works a bit differently in that it lets people use your software for as long as they like. However, they can only access basic features or create a limited number of projects.
For example, you can create a free account on Visme and use it for as long as you like. If you need to use premium features or multiple download formats, you can upgrade to a paid plan.
Free trials and plans can be a great way to lower the barrier to entry and get more potential customers actively using your product. Just be sure to carefully design the experience to maximize the chances of conversion.
Additionally, share tips, case studies and information about your product’s features during the trial/free plan period to convince leads to upgrade their plans.
SaaS companies often provide multiple solutions and target a variety of customer segments. A proven way to generate more leads is to create specialized landing pages for each type of user or need that you cater to.
For example, at Visme, we offer unique benefits and tools for marketing, sales, HR, training and development teams. To speak directly to each audience, we created separate landing pages with tailored design, visuals and copy.
This is useful on several levels:
You can also create landing pages for individual product features, customer needs or goals, use cases and industries. Or, develop landing pages around keywords that make sense for your business.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has infiltrated almost every aspect of business, including sales and marketing processes. Thanks to technology, we now also have a bunch of AI lead generation tools to help us do more with less ‘human’ effort.
Here are some types of AI lead generation tools to add to your tech stack:
The key with AI is to use it to enhance, not replace, your human touch. AI can take care of repetitive, data-driven tasks, but it's still important to have real people involved in your lead generation process, especially in building relationships and closing deals.
Organic lead generation tactics are great, but it’s competitive out there, and you often need to pay to play. In fact, having a paid ads strategy in place is one of the best ways for small or new businesses to stand out and drive leads.
Here are three paid ad types to generate leads for your SaaS company:
Ever feel like you're hitting a wall with your SaaS lead generation efforts? It might be time to consider co-marketing.
This strategy involves partnering with another company to create and promote content or campaigns together, effectively doubling your reach and impact.
Here's how it works: You find a company that shares your target audience but isn't a direct competitor. Then, you collaborate on valuable content or initiatives. These could be:
For example, Slack partnered with small businesses like Sixthman, Vicasso and 21b for a collaborative panel discussion:
You can start with simpler initiatives like social media cross-promotions or link swaps before planning larger co-marketing events or activities.
The beauty of co-marketing is you’re not just expanding your reach, but you’re also borrowing each other’s credibility. This helps attract potential users and generate more leads.
If you’re wondering where your potential B2B customers are hanging out online, chances are they’re on LinkedIn.
The network is home to over 1 billion professionals.
More importantly, LinkedIn is rated as the #1 platform for B2B lead generation.
Here’s a quick rundown on how to use LinkedIn to generate leads for your SaaS business:
Pro Tip: Use Visme to make your posts stand out, grab attention and look professional. Browse templates for LinkedIn posts, LinkedIn sponsored content and even headers for your profile.
Keep in mind that LinkedIn lead generation is a long game. Post and engage consistently, and your LinkedIn network will become a steady source of high-quality leads.
Niche communities like Reddit, Slack channels, Facebook groups and industry-specific forums are full of insights and opportunities for SaaS lead generation—if you approach them properly.
First, identify the most relevant communities for your target audience. For example, if you offer time tracking software, consider looking at subreddits like r/productivity or r/startups.
Then, join these communities and spend time observing. What questions keep coming up? What challenges are people facing? For example, a company selling HR software might find this question someone posted on r/managers interesting:
But don't just jump in with promotional content. Instead, answer questions thoughtfully, share your expertise and provide value without expecting anything in return.
Develop custom resources specifically for the community, like detailed guides, spreadsheets, short video tutorials or free tools that address common pain points.
This approach positions you as genuinely helpful rather than pushy or salesy. Build a reputation as a helpful, knowledgeable community member, and leads will naturally follow.
According to Semrush data, YouTube is the second-most visited website in the world. Sharing educational videos on the platform can be a great way to generate targeted leads.
Here are some YouTube video ideas for your SaaS business:
For example, Visme regularly shares educational YouTube videos showing people how to use a specific feature or solve a problem using our product. Here’s one about Visme forms:
While creating your YouTube content, it's important to use the best video formats for the platform. MP4, MOV, and emerging formats such as WebM and AV1 can significantly enhance video quality and performance.
These formats ensure smooth playback, clear visuals, and efficient file sizes, which are crucial for a polished and professional appearance on YouTube.
Remember, quality matters. Invest in good lighting, clear audio and professional editing. You don't need Hollywood-level production, but your videos should look polished and professional.
Optimize your videos for search by using relevant keywords in your titles, descriptions and tags. Create custom thumbnails that stand out in search results and encourage clicks. Use Visme’s YouTube thumbnail templates to streamline this process.
Don't forget to include clear CTAs in your videos and descriptions. Direct viewers to a blog post or landing page, invite them to sign up for a webinar or offer a free trial of your product.
Finally, promote your videos across other channels. Share them on your blog, in your email newsletter and across social media. The more views and engagement you get, the higher the algorithm will push them into native search results.
Trust is what makes prospects choose your SaaS product over your competitors. And there's no better way to build trust than by letting your satisfied customers do the talking.
This includes sharing reviews, testimonials, success stories, awards and statistics you’re proud of.
For example, you can share case studies on your website that tell a complete story of how your product solved a specific problem for a customer. Include quotes and tangible results to make your case study more compelling.
At Visme, we regularly share case studies from our satisfied users:
Don't let your social proof gather dust on a single webpage. Integrate these trust signals throughout your marketing efforts. For example, share case study snippets on social media. Draw attention to quotes or statistics in your description, graphic or copy.
Pro Tip: Use Visme’s case study templates to create engaging customer stories to publish on your website, share as gated content or distribute via email or social media. Customize the case study templates with your own branding and content, and use data visualization to bring statistics and results to life.You can also feature testimonials on your homepage and product pages. Video testimonials can be particularly powerful—seeing a real person talk about their positive experience with your product can be incredibly persuasive.
Finally, actively encourage your happy customers to leave reviews on platforms like G2, Capterra or TrustRadius. Make it easy for them by providing direct links and perhaps even offering an incentive, like a free month on their subscription.
Online events like webinars and demos are powerful lead generation tools for SaaS businesses, largely because they require attendees to sign up with their email addresses.
These interactive sessions also offer a unique opportunity to showcase your product in action, demonstrate complex features, address pain points and engage directly with potential customers.
At Visme, for example, we host regular webinars that help prospects learn more about how our SaaS product works and how they can benefit from its various features.
Make your webinars even more engaging with an interactive and visual webinar presentation template.
Add charts and graphs to bring your data to life, embed videos and animations, and even add 3D characters that inject fun into your live events.
Remember to follow up with attendees after the event. For instance, you can send out an email providing additional resources and offering personalized demos to interested prospects. You can also link to a recorded version of the webinar in case they want to watch it later.
Influencer marketing isn't just for physical products. SaaS companies can also benefit hugely by partnering up with respected industry voices to expand reach and visibility.
Just like traditional businesses, SaaS companies can offer influencers monetary or non-monetary benefits in exchange for in-depth reviews, social media mentions, endorsements, sponsored content and co-created resources.
You can also invite influencers in your niche to beta test new features and provide testimonials to create buzz around launch time.
Semrush, for example, partners with top voices on LinkedIn to share updates on new features or get more eyes on their content.
The key is to find influencers that genuinely align with your brand. You don’t want to sound overly promotional or look like you’re trying too hard.
Also, keep in mind that SaaS influencer partnerships mostly rely on technical knowledge and expertise instead of celebrity status. So, make sure you provide the right resources to influencers, such as screenshots, guides, and account access, so they’re well-equipped to talk about your product in a compelling way.
Using the right technology can help you elevate your lead generation efforts and stay ahead of the competition. Here are three of our favorite lead generation tools for SaaS companies:
Visme is a visual content creation platform that can supercharge your lead generation process, especially if you’re a SaaS company.
Create engaging lead magnets like ebooks, reports, presentations, videos and more using ready-made templates tailored to your industry.
You can also develop other lead generation materials like blog graphics, social media graphics, ad creatives, infographics and mockups.
Visme also integrates seamlessly with CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce so you can easily sync lead information, share files, boost efficiency and stay consistent.
Best of all, collect names and email addresses using Visme’s interactive form builder. Browse our form templates here to jumpstart your form creation. You’ll find templates for lead magnet forms, newsletter forms, contact forms, signup forms, feedback forms and more.
Design one-of-a-kind lead capture forms with animated characters that you can completely customize to fit your brand voice and style.
You can share your Visme forms in several different ways. Embed them on your website or share them directly with leads (such as through email or social media) via a link.
Another way is to embed your forms in QR codes, which is especially useful if you’re sharing print materials at an offline event and want to encourage attendees to sign up for your product with their phones.
Finally, Visme also lets you track the performance of your forms with built-in form analytics. Track metrics like views, completions, starts and average completion times to understand how users interact with your lead gen forms.
HubSpot packs a punch with its user-friendly features for SaaS lead generation. You can whip up attractive lead capture forms in no time with its drag-and-drop builder. Once a lead signs up, use automatic workflows to send personalized content based on user behavior and preferences.
Want to improve your forms? Use A/B testing to see what works best. HubSpot also offers live chat and AI-powered chatbots to engage visitors and capture leads around the clock.
Finally, with its detailed analytics, you can easily track how well your lead generation efforts are performing. HubSpot essentially gives you everything you need to attract, engage and convert leads—all in one place.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a powerful tool for SaaS lead generation. Your sales team can take advantage of features like advanced account search with 14+ filters, insights on company trends and hiring, and relationship mapping.
The tool also helps you identify key connections and past customers for warm introductions and provides real-time alerts on job changes and buyer intent. Finally, you can seamlessly update and manage your data by integrating Sales Navigator with your CRM.
A SaaS demand generation strategy focuses on creating awareness and interest in your software product. It uses tactics like content marketing, social media marketing, paid advertising and SEO to educate your target audience and create a need for your solution. The goal is to attract qualified leads that are more likely to convert into paying customers.
The cost of a SaaS lead varies widely depending on the industry, target audience and acquisition method. On average, it ranges from $150 to $350 per lead. However, enterprise SaaS leads can cost significantly more, sometimes exceeding $500 per lead.
The SaaS (Software as a Service) model delivers software applications online on a subscription basis. Users can typically access the software via web browsers, which eliminates the need for downloads and local installation. The provider manages the infrastructure, security and updates.
A popular example of the SaaS model is Visme, an all-in-one visual content creation platform. Users pay a subscription fee to access the software online, and create and share projects, while Visme handles all the backend operations like updates and data storage.
Identify the right leads by creating detailed buyer personas of your ideal customers. Target them through personalized content, retargeting ads and other multi-channel outreach strategies tailored to their specific needs and pain points.
Essential lead generation tools for SaaS businesses include CRMs, content creation tools, form builders, SEO tools, call center platforms, social media marketing tools, landing page builders and analytics software. Tools like Visme, HubSpot and LinkedIn Sales Navigator can help you streamline your SaaS lead generation efforts by providing most of these features.
Measure lead generation KPIs by tracking metrics like conversion rates, cost per lead, lead quality score and customer acquisition cost. Also, keep an eye on website traffic, email open rates and social media engagement. Finally, use analytics tools to gather this data and regularly review it to optimize your strategies.
A steady stream of leads is essential for your SaaS company’s growth. And with the right SaaS lead generation strategies, you can fill your pipeline with quality leads who are actually excited about your product.
Ready to take your lead gen game to the next level? Enter Visme. We’ve got all the tools you need to create eye-catching lead magnets, sleek presentations, compelling case studies and forms that are proven to convert.
No design skills? No problem. Our drag-and-drop editor, ready-made templates, built-in assets and AI-powered tools make content creation a breeze. Plus, Visme integrates easily with your favorite CRMs so your leads slide right into your existing workflow.
Check out Visme’s lead forms for yourself and start capturing targeted traffic like never before. If you’re interested in learning more, here’s how to use Visme to optimize your sales process.
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